Twitter Logo

 

Library Tweets

Find out about the Summer Reading Challenge

Audio

storytelling online with librarian at screen
Girl at desk with a device

Free Online resources

 

Recommended reads

Storytimes Online

Monday | 1.10pm – Class Holborn
Wednesday | 11am – Class Piccadilly
Friday | 12.30pm – Class Angel

At the moment, if anyone would like an Online Team storytime (or an individual chat for recommendations) Caroline is available Monday and Friday mornings, from 10am and Wednesday afternoons.

The World Factbook

 

There are loads of really up to date facts and figures, and brilliant photographs, for anyone interested in finding out more about any country! The World Factbook – The World Factbook (cia.gov)

Books for Topics

 

Text © Books for Topics

With access to libraries, classrooms and bookshops limited for many,  we’ve been busy finding some of the best online storytimes for children to access freely at home. The QR codes and links in the document link to story readings on Youtube and all of the books we’ve chosen are read aloud by their fabulous authors and illustrators.

Link: www.booksfortopics.com

Tom Palmer reads chapter one of his children’s book, “D-Day Dog”, to his dog, Finn. Published by Barrington Stoke. Second World War KS2 History. Shortlisted for the 2020 Children’s Book Award.

Library News

July 2021

Summer Reading Challenge

June 2021

Book Review

As we are still following COVID restrictions, our volunteer has emailed a book review for us to enjoy: Echo Mountain review by Matthew Goodsell.

Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk could be read as a love letter to a bygone era of American outdoorsmanship. Set around seventy years ago, it centres on Ellie, a young woman forced to care for her siblings when their father falls into a coma after an accident. Wolk describes in some detail the effort Ellie has to put into surviving in the American wilderness, for example the process of getting honey from bees by first lighting a fire to subdue them with smoke. [Read more …]

April 2021

We are excited to be one of 700 organisations giving out 100,000 books to celebrate #WorldBookNight. Lots of our parents/carers will be receiving a copy of Stories to Make You Smile.

 

March 2021

Women’s History Month: The Fantastically Great Women series by Kate Pankhurst,
are full of inspirational women from history.

 

February 2021

Celebrating LGBTQI+ Month through books
cenmac.com/2021/02/lgbtq-month

Free resources to download for Safer Internet Day:
Resources – Digi Duck

 

January 2021

Useful free resources for a range of subject:
Free Resources – Ruby Tuesday Books

British Library: Get creative with activities for children of all ages. Invent your own superhero, make a pop-up book and much more.
www.bl.uk/childrens-books

Winter Warmer Festival | From Saturday 9 January: Online activities from Half Moon Theatre for everyone to take part in at home. Storyteller Amari Harris conjures up two seasonal stories with a sprinkle of magic and an energetic snowball fight. Plus, see how to make a paper penguin, winter lantern and snowman bookmark.
www.halfmoon.org.uk/winterwarmerfestival

Home Learning Resources:
Online Book Resources
Online Book Resources For PMLD And ASD Sensory

The Book of Hopes was put together in the first lockdown and shared for free online before being available to buy in print, they took it off site last term but have made it freely available again during this lockdown. It includes new short stories, poems, illustrations, and extracts from existing books (my favourite bit is Catherine Johnson’s poem on page 6): literacytrust.org.uk/family-zone/9-12/book-hopes

Caroline recommends: Library Book list.pdf

Tom Palmer has written a number of historical novels about both World Wars, he has done a series of YouTube (left) recordings of him reading one of them, D-Day Dog.

Michael Morpurgo’s Private Peaceful is one of my favourite War novels, set in WW1 (you will cry buckets and rage at the injustices), the BBC has an abridged audio adaptation here: www.bbc.co.uk

The National Literacy Trust

The National Literacy Trust have launched the Virtual School Library  wordsforlife.org.uk/virtual-school-library with a different guest author or illustrator every week, a chance to read one of their books for free (sometimes an audio version) and download related activities.

Online Museums 

National museum of the American Indian: americanindian.si.edu/online-resources/exhibition-websites

purple and blue cover with an illustration of a girl

Book of the Month

MARCH 2021

Show Us Who You Are is the second book from Blue Peter Book Prize winning author, Elle McNicoll, with Neurodivergent characters you’ll root for and a moving friendship at its heart. When Cora’s brother drags her along to his boss’s house, she doesn’t expect to strike up a friendship with Adrien, son of the intimidating CEO of Pomegranate Technologies. As she becomes part of Adrien’s life, she is also drawn into the mysterious projects at Pomegranate. At first, she’s intrigued by them – Pomegranate is using AI to recreate real people in hologram form. As she digs deeper, however, she uncovers darker secrets… Cora knows she must unravel their plans, but can she fight to make her voice heard, whilst never losing sight of herself?

Pink and blue book cover - title A kind of spark

FEBRUARY 2021

 

A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll is an own voices story of Addie, an autistic girl, campaigning to have a memorial built for those that were tried as witches in her town hundreds of years ago.

Sombre book cover with a dark outer circle and sad looking European child with sun in the background

The following are both published on 21 January: 2021

A Shelter for Sadness by Anne Booth and David Litchfield is a beautiful picture book for all ages, exploring the nature of sadness.

Teenage brown girlwith a big afroin a mystical setting wearing contemporary clothing

Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston is first in an epic middle grade supernatural adventure series, soon to be a major movie starring Marsai Martin. Perfect for fans of Percy Jackson, Nevermoor and Men in Black! Amari Peters knows three things: Her big brother Quinton has gone missing. No one will talk about it. His mysterious job holds the secret. So when Amari gets an invitation to the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, she’s certain this is her chance to find Quinton. But first she has to get her head around the new world of the Bureau, where mermaids, aliens and magicians are real, and her roommate is a weredragon.

Storytelling and Resources

Caroline our librarian recommends some fantastic website for families to enjoy while their children are home learning or at school.

 

Reading Black Lives Matter

  • Zoe Tillotson, our English Advisory Teacher has compiled a reading list with titles that can be found in our library. Please remember to contact Caroline for any books as the library is no entry at the moment.

Over the last few months there has been significant media coverage of the Black Lives Matter campaign. This is a good time then, for those of us in education to reflect on our practice and ask ourselves how we can promote genuine inclusion, equality and be pro-actively anti-racist. One area that always demands scrutiny is the curriculum. What is absent and excluded sends a strong message. To that end, the English team at CPA have been creating a new English Curriculum and making sure it includes positive and diverse representations of young Black people by contemporary writers. Some of the books we have chosen to include are listed below. I hope you’ll be as excited as we are by the choices we’ve made.

Download reading list here: Black Lives Matter

 

Recommended Websites

Oxford Owl eBook library (phonics books) home.oxfordowl.co.uk/books/free-ebooks

The World Book Day website has lots of readings of books for a range of ages and interests www.worldbookday.com

BookTrust Hometime has new stuff added regularly www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/have-some-fun/open-the-hometime-cupboard

 

 

Phonics games:

 

 

Creative writing:

Authorfy masterclasses: authorfy.com/masterclasses

 

 

 

 

PODCASTS: This is a great selection of podcasts, aimed at Pathways 1 and 2 students, focusing on COVID-19 but they have different themed sets: slj.com

STORYTELLING

Tiny Owls: An independent, global publisher of beautiful multicultural picture books for EVERYONE! New videos every Friday. Tiny Owl stories: www.youtube.com/channel

Michael Rosen: Visit Michael Rosen’s websites for storytelling videos.
‘Here you will be able to read about me, my books and what I’m doing.’ – Michael Rosen
www.michaelrosen.co.uk/videos

Text © Lantana Publishing
Tomorrow: In this storytime video, Nadine Kaadan reads her book Tomorrow (2018), a moving and uplifting story about a little boy named Yazan wishing he could go outside and play. Nadine wrote this story to express what she saw happening around her in Damascus. But now we feel that children from all over the world may be feeling the same way as Yazan, forced to stay home during lockdown and longing to see their friends and even go back to school.
Link: Tomorrow | Youtube

Text © Oliver Jeffers
For all you folks stuck at home in the coming weeks due to COVID, I will be reading one of my books every weekday, and talking about some of the things that went into making it. We are all at home, but none of us are alone. Let’s be bored together. Watch LIVE on Oliver’s instagram (@oliverjeffers) at 7 PM GMT/ 2 PM EST.  Link: www.oliverjeffers.com/abookaday

One Chapter a Day: Author and illustrator Tom Percival reading Attack of the Heebie Jeebies, one chapter a day. Link: www.youtube.com

Nosy Crow: While so many of us around the world are currently at home and staying inside with young children, we want to help – so we’ve put together lots of activities, resources, free Nosy Crow books and other content which we hope will help keep your families happy.

Resources to download link: nosycrow.com/free-resources

DRAW ALONGS

Sarah McIntyre: Silly sharks galore! Learn how to draw your own shark with the writer and illustrator of There’s a Shark in the Bath, and sing along with the shark song! Find more book-related activities at jabberworks.co.uk/theres-a-shark-in-the-bath. Link: www.youtube.com/channel

Rob Biddulph:  Rob is an internationally bestselling and multi award-winning children’s author and illustrator. He is also the official World Book Day Illustrator for 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Link: www.youtube.com/channel

Book Trust: Lots of lovely interactive books to read online or watch with signing
Link: www.booktrust.org.uk

Oxford owls: Loads of activities on Oxford Owls (including phonics books)
Link: home.oxfordowl.co.uk/school-closure-resources